Wild Rose Apothecary

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Monday, June 2, 2014

June is here! June is the final month in our 6 month subscription, so if you'd like to get another 6 month CSA share, make sure you sign up for the next round! We've got a delightful bag of goodies for you for June- here's what's in it:

This is a mellow, tasty tea blend that can be enjoyed hot or cold, with honey or without. It's very floral and slightly sweet and is relaxing to the mind and body. Drink with intent to flower to your full potential.*Caution- not for use during early stages of pregnancy.

Sweet Relief Bug Spray- vanilla, olive oil, catnip oil, witch hazel, citronella essential oil, lemon eucalyptus essential oil, rosemary essential oil It's gnat season here in Iowa. Clouds and clouds of gnats, along with lots of mosquitoes, and a fair amount of ticks if your in tall grass or wooded areas. This spray helps repel all those little buggers! It does need reapplied after a few hours, so stick it in your go bag if you'll be out all day. *Shake before you spray.Wild Rose Honey Syrup- wildrose tincture, honey, organic grain alcohol, vegetable glycerineWild Rose is an excellent remedy to have in the home medicine cabinet, as well as in a first aid bag for when you're on the go. Internally, it's a relaxing nervine that can be used in place of rescue remedy. It's also cooling, which can make it a nice addition to ice tea or your water bottle in the summer. Externally, wild rose is cooling and soothing, and also increases circulation. It works wonders on burns, and even relieves the hot itchy feeling of bug bites. The honey can make it a little sticky, but this actually helps to hold the tincture in place on the skin. Energetically, wild rose is restores emotional balance and allows the heart to open while maintaining a strong sense of self.PreMoon Tincture-

licorice root, pau’d Arco, vitex, wild yam, yellow dock (40%alc)

It is generally understood that PMS is caused by hormonal imbalance in the body and this tincture will make sure the liver is in top shape to process the spike in the hormone process thus Take ½-1 dropper full 3x a day for 10 days prior to menstruation. Additional actions to help the hormonal break down process you can do include cutting out alcohol, tobacco, bleached carbs and refined sugar.

Take as needed during menstruation, ½-1 dropper dosages 3x a day or up to every 30min for relief from cramps, mood swings, lower back pain, mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, stomach upset, tenderness and irritability. Contains iron and other vitamins and minerals your body needs during this time.

Pine & Citrus Kyphii Incense- scotch pine, cedar, clementines, sage, lavender, honey, pine resin, juniper berriesIt's hard to describe the sacredness of this incense in words. Everything besides the clementines was wildcrafted or homegrown by us here in Iowa. It's been stirred and melding for months on an altar, with ingredients added bit by bit. To use, you can light the corner of a block until it's lit, blow out, and set in a fire proof area to burn. To burn more than just a smidge, use an incense coal or take a coal out of your bonfire or grill and crumble a bit of the kyphii on top of the lit coal.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

We get a lot of questions about what salve to use when. We make quite a variety of salves and ointments, for a wide variety of uses, though many of those uses overlap! Here's a compilation of [most] of our salves to date with various ways they can be used, and at the bottom there is a list of ailments we have tried our salves on, with notable success! ~Remember, everyone reacts differently, and sometimes one thing will work better for one person than another.~

Nerve and Muscle Repair Salve (external use only)

arnica, st. john's wort, cottonwood, pine resin, olive oil, beeswax

This salve is best for bruises and sore muscles. It's a bit pain relieving and reduces inflammation. I also really like this one for aching bones.

Deep Forest Salve

Pine resin, Self Heal, Elder Leaf, Olive Oil, Local Beeswax

A wonderful removal/moving salve. Great for splinters, slivers, bug bites, spider bites and any deep old wounds that are taking to long to heal.Pine is great for moving blood thus it works wonders on old yellow or green bruises, and wonderful for sore muscles and topical pain related to bruising or sore muscles. This salve is harder then our typical salves due to the resin +, scrape out some with the flat of your nail and warm between fingers for easier application

Heal All Salve

calendula, comfrey, plantain, yarrow, olive oil, beeswax

A supreme combination of anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, restorative herbs that encourage body to repair itself where damaged. Good for bumps, scratches, abrasions, rashes, bites, boils, bruises, and burns that are already on the mend. Do not rub salve directly into an open wound; rather apply it around/near the site. External use only. **As with all salves, please be mindful that you clean the wound first so as to not seal in any infection or debris. For burns, wait "until the fire is out" (cold water, lavender essential oil, or rose vinegar spritz can help with initial cooling) to apply the salve.

Breathe Deep Chest Rub

menthol, mullein, olive oil, thyme, eucalyptus, beeswax

It's like Vick's Vapo-Rub, only way better, and all natural! Rub on the chest and upper back to help clear congestion. This ointment can also be helpful for asthma. **Avoid use on the face, and know that a little of this ointment goes a long way!

Turmeric Salve

turmeric, olive oil, beeswax

Turmeric helps to counter inflammation, and brings circulation to the area applied. This salve can be helpful for stiff and sore joints/muscles, arthritis, and other conditions involving inflammation, pain, and/or swelling.

Skin Restoration Salve

chickweed, plantain, cleavers, cottonwood bud resin, olive oil, beeswaxSoothes the often painful itching, irritation, and inflammation associated with severely dry skin conditions, eczema, and dermatitis. This salve contains herbs which move lymph and can help with bursitis and sub-dermal cysts. We wild-crafted the herbs in this salve this Spring, so that we could keep using them through the harsh, drying winter months!

diaper rash, skin rashes (if it's due to skin irritation, or a mild rash, some rashes can be made worse by using an oil-based product. If it's persistent or serious something like activated charcoal may be a better option.): skin restoration salve or heal-all salve

Thursday, April 17, 2014

I love spring time and all of the medicinal, nutritious and liver cleansing greens that start popping up in my yard. Pictured here is a pile of Garlic Mustard,Alliaria petiolata,that I picked from my yard a few days ago. Itis considered invasive, producing up to 800 seeds per plant and most of my neighbors want it out of their yard as soon as possible. If collected before it flowers it will curb this powerful friend from taking over and I'll have a nice stock of garlic mustard pesto in my freezer. As I learned from Susan Weed the roots make a delicious edible as well as the seeds make a spicy condiment. Here is a link to one of my favorite foraging websites article on Garlic Mustard http://www.eattheweeds.com/garlic-mustard-jack-by-the-hedge-sauce-alone/

Garlic Mustard Pesto

3 cgarlic mustard greens, chopped and packed. (Pick greens from an unsprayed area and thoroughly wash and dry them)

1.5 c walnuts

1 tsp- 1tbspgarlic mustard root, sliced

1 c fresh basil, chopped and packed

6 tbspvirgin olive oil

Saltto taste

4 ouncesParmesan cheese, grated

extra garlic to taste (I'm a garlic fanatic so I often add a few more cloves to the mix)

Process ingredients in food processor, take liberties to adjust ingredients to taste and explore flavoring with other medicinal and culinary herbs

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Hello Folks! Our next class is Sunday April 27th down in Riverside, IA We will be teaching about Spring herbs, dandelion, cleavers, plantain, chickweed, yarrow and nettle. We will also be lecturing on important of spring cleansing: lymphatic and kidney care and hormone balance. Cost of class is $25 with a $5 materials fee. If you are interested email wildroseapothecary@gmail.com for more details

Jump into spring with our delicious berry elixir! It's intended to awaken all parts of the body and act as a tonic to our sleepy winter systems. Nutritive and tasty, add to tea, water, juice, or take a spoonful on it's own, 1-3x daily

Deep Forest Salve

Pine resin, Self Heal, Elder Leaf, Olive Oil, Local Beeswax

A wonderful removal/moving salve. Great for splinters, slivers, bug bites, spider bites and any deep old wounds that are taking to long to heal.Pine is great for moving blood thus it works wonders on old yellow or green bruises, and wonderful for sore muscles and topical pain related to bruising or sore muscles. This salve is harder then our typical salves due to the resin +, scrape out some with the flat of your nail and warm between fingers for easier application

This falls into the category of what I call a "green tisane" (A tisane is any tea that does not contain the tea plant. Most of our herbal teas are actually tisanes.) A Green Tisane, is a tisane that is nourishing and full of lots of vitamins and minerals that come from green foods. Nettle, red clover, and alfalfa based teas fall into this category. Nettles are high in iron, calcium and magnesium. Red clover is particularly high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin C. Alfalfa is rich in calcium, vitamins A, K, C, and D. Linden flowers have been used in folk medicine to relieve anxiety and insomnia. This tisane is pairs quite nicely with a splash of our Spring Cleanse Elixir!

Osha Tincture

Osha, Honey, ALC 40%

Osha is an intoxicating plant that hails from the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains. Warming and diffusing, this root has a specific affiliation with the lungs. Works wonders against respiratory infections, and achy sore throats. It's an expectorants to it will draw out congestion in the lungs as well. Take 1/2 dropper to full dropper full 3x day for 5 days, resting for 2 and repeat.

This is a nice relaxing and stress relieving tea blend. The calendula and lavender flowers give it a nice floral taste and reminds me of summer. Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is an adaptogenic herb that has many healing properties. It's good for coughs, colds, relieving stress, strengthening the heart and kidneys, respiratory disorders, and more. It also has a delightfully sweet flavor that reminds me of bubble gum. St. John's wort gives a nice lift to the spirits and calms the nervous system. Caution: St. John's wort may interfere with some prescription medications including antidepressants and hormonal birth control. Please consult your healthcare provider before using if you take these kinds of medications.

Warming Pain Relief Salve

cayenne, cottonwood bud resin, cayenne, olive oil, beeswax

This combination of herbs reduces inflammation while increasing circulation to an affected area. Great for arthritis, sore muscles, and pain/swelling in the joints. Caution: Cayenne burns when it comes in contact with mucous membranes, so take care and wash hands after using this product! For external use.

Shiitake mushrooms are one of the most medicinal mushrooms! They are anti-cancer, stress relieving, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and are also a great source of vitamin D. Dulse is a kind of seaweed that is full of trace minerals. Nettles are rich in iron and nourishing to the kidneys. Dandelion and burdock roots are both also rich in iron and cleanse the liver. Suggested use: Add 1-2 teaspoons into a soup broth (like miso) or into rice or quinoa while it cooks.

A most exciting and delicious elixir that can be enjoyed sipped on it's own as an alcoholic beverage, or used as daily supplement by adding 1tsp-1tbsp daily to water, juice, kombucha etc. Conifers are Winter's vitamin, high in Vit C and minerals and are a wonderful expectorant to relieve stagnant lung congestion and good for sore throats. Conifers can also be warming, anti-bacterial, and aid circulation t0 assist the body's natural detoxification that happens during spring. Lemon balm and oranges help to boost the immune system in a variety of ways, making sure you get off to spring with a good start!

Yarrow Antibacterial Spray

yarrow flower, witch hazel

A powerful healing agent to be used on fresh cuts, scrapes, rashes, red irritated skin, fevered skin, cat scratches. Yarrow is a strong antibacterial plant, used as an anti-infective topically, and to stop bleeding. Witch hazel is a soothing astringent for skin, cooling red inflammation and relieving pain. Suggested use: 2-5 sprays on fresh wound, and follow up with as many sprays as needed for the next few days, depending on severity and size of wound.

Kombucha

jasmine-green tea, yerba mate, nettle, sugar, SCOBY, apple juice

Bright and sparkly, with many bubbles!

Disclaimer: All information here within is for education purposes and is not intended for the diagnosis, treatment, or cure of any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before self-treating.